"Next day, when the lad stood down at the foot of the bridge again, there came a man from the mill with a sack of meal, and wanted to cross.
"'You can't cross till you pay the toll,' said the lad.
"'I've no pence to pay it with,' said the man.
"'Well! You can't cross,' said the lad; 'but goods are good pay.' So he got a pound of meal, and the man had leave to cross.
"Not long after came a smith, with a horse-pack of smith's work, and wanted to cross; but it was still the same.
"'You mustn't cross till you've paid the toll,' said the lad. But he too had no money either; so he gave the lad a gimlet, and then he had leave to cross.
"So when the lad got home to his mother, the toll was the first thing she asked about.
"'What did you take for toll to-day?'
"'Oh! there came a man from the mill with a sack of meal, and he gave me a pound of meal; and then came a smith, with a horse-load of smith's-work, and he gave me a gimlet.'
"'And pray what did you do with the gimlet?' asked the goody.